Health & Veritas Ryan Schwarz: Thinking Differently about the Primary Care Crisis
Mar 27, 2025
Joined by Ryan Schwarz, a Yale-trained MD-MBA and leader at MassHealth, the discussion dives into the critical shortage of primary care doctors in the U.S. Ryan highlights challenges like burnout, unrealistic workloads, and the need for innovative care models. He advocates for team-based approaches, integrating various health professionals, and reforming payment systems to relieve clinician burdens. With a focus on sustainable solutions, Ryan expresses optimism for systemic change in primary care.
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Underinvestment Harms U.S. Primary Care
- The U.S. underinvests in primary care compared with peer countries, harming health outcomes.
- Increased primary care investment correlates with better population health and access.
Access To Primary Care Has Declined
- Access to a routine primary care source has worsened nationally over the last decade.
- In Massachusetts, 41% of respondents reported difficulty accessing primary care in 2023.
Primary Care Workload Is Practically Impossible
- A study estimated primary care workload would require about 26.7 hours per day to do everything recommended.
- That impossible workload explains burnout and why primary care is unsustainable now.